Realm of Darkness
by HakushoRurouni
Summary: Halloween 1981. Voldemort failed to kill Harry, but he has succeeded in destroying his life. The Dark Lord did not die completely, but in defying death he made no friends. A new prophecy has been made, awaiting fufillment. Harry/Ginny and others.
1. In Which Things Go Wrong

**A/N**: Okay people, I know this chapter might look the same, but I assure you there are changes. This story will be completely different than the original, and hopefully I'll be able to finish this one, as it is my favorite plot so far. If you're transferring over from the original Realm of Darkness, just delete everything you once knew about that story.

That being said, let's kick this new story off with hopes that it'll go a lot smoother!!!

Disclaimer: If I so much as owned a page of any one of the Harry Potter books, I'd be richer than I am now, and since I'm writing this disclaimer, the obvious conclusion is that I do not own anything. Have a nice day!

* * *

October 31, 1981. Halloween, or more precisely, All Hollow's Eve. Usually it was a holiday filled with cheer, albeit a more solemn, toned down cheer than Christmas cheer, but nevertheless, still cheery.

Unless of course you were Tom Marvolo Riddle.

He was angry, infuriated, and at the same time, he was scared; frightened to the point where he looked down at the faithful Death Eater who had delivered the news, and promptly killed him.

He dismissed the rest of his followers, he had business to attend to, business that was either going to kill him, or put him that much closer to immortality.

In recent months, the Potter brat had been born, but so had the Longbottom boy, both of whom could be candidates to the prophecy.

Keyword: could.

Potter of course, was going to be the target. He was after all, just like Riddle.

Well, he was a half-blood anyway, and Riddle knew that half-bloods always grew to be more powerful than purebloods. It was all that interbreeding the Purebloods had gone about several generations ago.

Yes, he'd heard about that stupid prophecy, Severus had told him.

"_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches, born as the seventh month dies…"_

He hadn't believed it at first, but now…

Let's just say that now everything seemed more real, the threat of some little bastard being born with the power to kill him…it sent a chill down his spine.

Fortunately, he had one advantage. The Potter's thought that they were protected by the Fidelius Charm, and they would have been, had they not made the fatal mistake of switching Secret Keepers.

Riddle remembered the day Peter Pettigrew, who was probably his most pathetic servant, had come running through the great oak doors of his chambers, an excited look on his face.

The man seemed to realize what he'd done and had the good sense to immediately bow down and beg his master's forgiveness.

Riddle had not been impressed by Wormtail's groveling. So he had cursed him using the Cruciatus curse, his personal favorite of the Unforgivables.

After a good half a minute of agony filled screams, Riddle had stopped, and calmly asked Pettigrew why he'd been compelled to burst into his chambers.

After a few stuttered beginnings, Pettigrew told him.

Sirius Black had convinced the Potters to switch Secret Keepers. He'd convinced them that nobody would think to go after him, Peter, because they would figure that he was too weak.

He said that they'd taken up residence in Godric's Hallow, and were prepared to weather the storm.

Coming out of his reverie, Riddle smirked, feeling something akin to pity for the Potter's. They felt they'd made an intelligent move by switching to their pathetic friend, when in reality; they'd just signed their death warrants.

He laughed a cold, malicious laugh. He knew what it felt like to have everything blow up in his face, but now, now it was time to pass that misfortune on to others.

Hell that was why he'd gone dark.

He'd wanted to show everybody suffering, wanted to show them destruction…wanted to show them chaos.

Pulling his cloak of the wooden hook it was perched on, he flung it over his shoulders. Silently, he pulled open the doors of the hideout and was met with darkness.

Grinning manically, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named turned sharply and, with a small pop, the terror that had plagued Wizarding England for years disappeared.

Lord Voldemort was on the move.

OoOoOoOoOoOOOooO

It had been a rather hectic day for one James Potter. An exhausted and angry wife and continually crying son would do that to a person.

However, when it was because of the latter that the former was in the mood she was, James couldn't help but chuckle.

Poor Lily had been run ragged trying to attend to the daily chores required in keeping a house habitable, and keeping their wailing son content.

Well, technically, Harry wasn't _his _son, but James didn't care. Lily and he hadn't exactly made peace until a few years after they had left Hogwarts. Apparently, during that time, she had met another man and well…done the deed.

When she had finally given James a chance and told him about her escapade with the mystery man, James was a little upset, but he'd not exactly been Mr. Abstinent so he could understand where she was coming from.

James of course, being the fine, upstanding gentlemen that he was, had accepted baby Harry when he'd come into the world and cared for him as though he were his own.

And now, he was attempting to help his stressed wife around the house, seeing as she was busy with Harry. He just hoped that he was doing things right.

But, as is common knowledge, the male's definition of right was utterly and completely different than the female's fine tuned and precise interpretation of the word.

He'd done the laundry. He'd done it wrong.

He'd folded the laundry. He'd done it wrong.

He'd separated and put the laundry away. He'd separated and put the laundry away wrong.

It was at that point that he'd given up on the laundry, and had moved to cleaning the house.

He'd promptly failed at that as well.

So from cleaning, he tried his hand at dishwashing. Apparently, he'd mucked that up as well.

It was then and ONLY then, that the desperate man in James Potter made a last ditch attempt effort to help his wife, and he'd cooked.

James sighed.

The kitchen would never be the same again.

It had occurred to him, finally, that he could use magic. He could've used magic the whole time. That's what that bloody piece of wood in his back pocket was for anyway right?

He'd cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. He'd pointed his wand at the ill-fated salad in front of him and spoken a spell.

After getting over what Lily had dubbed, the "Big-Bang" incident, she had convinced her husband to just sit down and shut up, she'd take care of it.

And she did.

She separated the laundry while cleaning the house. She cleaned the house while cooking dinner. She'd cooked dinner while cooing sweet nothings into Harry's ear, calming him. She'd cooed sweet nothings into Harry's ear, while shooting a relieved smile at James.

Just looking at his wife, completely exhausted and yet smiling at him, caused James to laugh.

It was a chuckle at first, a chuckle that soon turned into outright laughter. His laughter was contagious because soon Lily was laughing uncontrollably as well.

They stopped after awhile, both of them relieved and content for now.

"James, go wash up, dinner's almost ready."

Getting up, James walked over to his wife, who held Harry in her arms, and gently kissed her.

It was a lingering, loving kiss, a kiss that promised more later.

He pulled away, "I love you Lils."

Smiling, he turned and headed toward the bathroom to wash up. It had been awhile since he'd seen his wife let loose and laugh. Granted, there was a psychotic Dark Lord after them, but for some reason, ever since Lily had come back from the States she had been reticent to show too much happiness.

She did try to hide it, and she was very, very good at it, but James, having been an avid observer of his wife back in school, knew when she was forcing it. But that was not to say that she showed no emotion at all. Indeed she showed a great deal of emotion, to him of course, but also to Harry, her pride and joy.

As he was finishing up, his thought turned to more annoying matters.

Voldemort.

He hated the Dark Lord with every fiber of his being. It was because of him that he, Lily, and Harry were stuck hiding at Godric's Hollow, protected under the Fidelius Charm.

And that damned Prophecy!

"…_Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives…"_

James growled in frustration.

His son, step-son anyway, barely three months old, was forced to be either murderer or victim. And there was no way out of it.

James was so frustrated that he didn't notice the bar of soap crumbling under his grip.

At least they were safe for the time being. None of his friends would betray him. And with Sirius making the brilliant switch of Secret Keeper to Peter, Voldemort would never find them.

They would have time to prepare Harry, to ease him into the hell he was bound to meet head on.

Sirius had saved them so much pain.

Thinking about his best friend, James recalled the conversation concerning the Secret Keeper a couple of weeks earlier.

Sirius had come to their cottage at Godric's Hollow, positively ecstatic with glee. James had asked him what he was so giddy about.

Sirius had told him.

He had the perfect plan he said. They should switch Secret Keepers, instead of him, it should be Peter. Nobody would suspect Peter; he was a bumbling, clumsy, and weak man. The idea that anybody would suspect him was inconceivable.

But he himself, everybody would suspect. They'd go after him, surely, and try to get it out of him.

And he'd have a nasty surprise in store for them. He wouldn't be the Secret Keeper, and it would send anyone off on a wild goose chase.

_**Nobody**_ he'd put emphasis on the word, would ever suspect Peter Pettigrew.

Again James sighed, he felt a bit uneasy. Peter had been growing a bit distant as of late, and he seemed…different.

But no matter what, James trusted his old friend with his life. However, that little feeling of unease had grown in him, and he'd made an unregistered port key out of a picture of the three of them; Lily, Harry, and himself.

It was in their bedroom and when activated it would take the user to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. The activation phrase was "Back Again." That was all it took.

Drying his hands on a nearby towel, James exited the bathroom and glanced out the window into the night.

"James! Dinner!" Lily called.

"Com…" a brief flash, barely there, caught his eye.

He saw the tell-tale swish of a cloak, and two blood red eyes starting right back at him.

Voldemort.

"LILY!" James shouted, "Lily it's him! He's here! Take Harry, get the port key! Run!"

Lily burst into the living room, Harry clutched to her chest.

"What? James…how?"

James growled, "Peter."

Lily grabbed his hand, "James, come on, let's go, we can all go together right now!"

James shook his head, "I can't Lily, he'll just find us again. Go! Take Harry!"

Tears were streaking down her face, "No James! Come on! Let's leave!"

James met his wife's terrified face, "Lillian Grace Potter, take our son and get that port key while there's still time! NOW."

"James!" Lily threw herself into his arms, being mindful of Harry in hers.

"I know Lils, I'm sorry."

Gently, he lifted her chin up, making her look at him.

"I love you Lillian Grace Potter, for always and ever."

She smiled, "And I love you James Ryan Potter, for always and ever."

They kissed. The kiss expressed more than they could ever say in words.

Hope, agony, pain…love. All bundled in that one, short kiss.

James looked at his wife, "Now GO."

She did.

At that moment the door flew open admitting a cloaked figure, all in black. But James could see the red eyes. Those eerie red eyes that made chills run up and down his spine.

"Ah James, how good of you to a…greet me." It was then the red eyes saw Lily running. "Uh, uh, uh. You won't be getting away that easily. _Pulsat!_"

"_Protego!_" The shield spell deflecting the other into the kitchen wall, razing it completely.

"Well, seeing as I'm in a rush, I'll just stun you…and

leave you to wake up to a nightmare! _Stupefy!_" Voldemort yelled.

"_Protego!_" But James had spent most of his energy casting the spell that had just spared his wife and son.

The Dark Lord's curse easily broke through it.

James Potter fell motionless to the floor.

"Hmph, pathetic whelp." Silently, the Dark Lord pursued the mother and child.

* * *

Lily was in a panic trying to remember what the words were to activate the port key.

"What were they? Oh damn, damn, damn!" She cursed out loud.

"Tisk, tisk, tisk Mrs. Potter," sneered a cold voice from the door, "It's not proper for a lady to swear. No not at all."

Lily spun around, dropping the port key in fright.

"No!" She half whispered, half shouted, realizing what must have happened to her husband.

"Yes my dear, yes. He's dead." Lied Voldemort gleefully, "But do not worry, you will be joining him soon. First however, the boy! _Accio!_"

Lily tightened her grip on her son as she felt the tug of the spell.

"No! Please not Harry! Take me, kill me instead! Not Harry!"

Voldemort sneered, "All in good time my dear, all in good time. Now, stand aside you silly girl! _Petrificus Totalus!_"

Lily felt her body go into extended rigor mortis, forcing her to watch in horror as the evil being before her levitated her child into midair.

"And now," began Voldemort, "I eliminate the only obstacle in my path to immortality. The Chosen One indeed. _Avada Kedavra!_"

* * *

James came to only to be assaulted by the stench of burning wood. Quickly taking in his surrounding, he recognized their cottage.

It was on fire!

Then he remembered.

Voldemort!

He'd dueled briefly with James- he, James, had deflected a curse into the kitchen wall- that must've caused the fire.

"Lily, Harry! Oh, Merlin please…." He jumped to his feet, ignoring the screaming protests of his muscles, and bolted to their bedroom.

He caught the last words of Voldemort.

"…And now, I eliminate the only obstacle in my path to immortality."

That was all he needed to hear. He turned the corner and saw Lily, obviously immobilized, and Harry, floating in midair.

"Chosen One indeed."

James ran, his footsteps covered by the bursting of a window from too much pressure.

"_Avada Kedavra!_"

As the jet of green light shot towards Harry, James launched himself in front of his son, taking the curse straight in the chest.

James Potter fell to the floor motionless once again. This time however, he was not getting up.

The Dark Lord merely quirked an eyebrow, "Well, that was unexpected." He shrugged, "No matter."

His sinister gaze went to Lily, "Well my dear, it seems that you're alone yet again. Your dear baby boy will perish before you, just as your husband before him."

But through sheer force of will, Lily broke the Dark Lord's spell, and ran towards her son, Portkey in hand.

"_Avada Kedavra_!"

The curse struck Lily as she was in mid stride, sending her body flying like a rag doll over the bed and the Portkey tumbling uselessly to the floor, right in front of baby Harry.

Smirking, Voldemort clicked his tongue, "A shame really, my dear boy," he spoke, turning towards the infant now crying his eyes out, "I really was looking forward to being able to torment _one_ of your parents for the rest of their lives. But it seems as though I'll only get one wish tonight."

He laughed a high-pitched, cold laugh, before he pointed his wand at Harry's forehead,

"Now sweet child, this is the day the world will always remember as the day that Lord Voldemort became _immortal_," one last malicious grin graced his features as the babe stared straight into his eyes, and then, "_Avada Kedavra!_"

But something had gone wrong.

What was it? What could it have been? _Why_ would anything go wrong when the Dark Lord was so close to reaching his immortality? _How _could anything go wrong?

Tom Riddle would only find out what had caused his temporary downfall fourteen years later, when he was brought back from the brink of death, for he could not die, at least not completely, while his Horcruxes were still intact.

And that did not sit well with the Lord of the Underworld.

* * *

**A/N**: And that's the new chapter 1!! I know, not too much has changed, except for the fact that Harry was not the product of James' happy times. Anyway, feedback is really helpful, and I would appreciate any critiques as I'm in the habit of being ripped a new one by my AP English teacher. Therefore, anything I write has flaws, and everything that is flawed must die.

Thanks for reading this one, and I hope you'll stick with me for the next chapter! I would advise you to put this thing on Story Alert because my update times will be rather erratic as I won't be able to devote myself on a weekly basis to updating, unless of course you want the crap versions of chapters.

-HakushoRurouni


	2. Out of Hell, Into Hell

A/N: After what could possibly have passed as my death and rebirth I'm back. Don't kill me yeah?

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Or other stuff, sans the OCs.

Ch.2- Out of Hell, into Hell

"Boy I said get _OUT_ of the way _NOW!!" _Vernon Dursley shouted at his nephew as he raised his belt, ready to strike the source of his anger.

"No! Please Uncle, I'll take their punishments, please!! You can even double it if you want, and I won't make a sound I swear, _please,_" pleaded the dark haired five-year old, as he shielded his small cousins from their father.

The twins in question were busy crying their eyes out, terrified at their father's rage and all the shouting that was going on around them. Whenever he got like this, Harry always got hurt, and they hated when Harry got hurt. He had always taken their punishments.

"And why should I let you take their punishments boy? Why, when I could just beat them and double your punishments anyway? I'll not let you take what they've earned at birth anymore!"

With that, the beating began.

Minutes seemed like hours to Harry as he bore the pain. The belt lashed at his skin, leaving angry red welts all along his back, chest, stomach, legs, arms, and face. When it finally seemed that it was over, Vernon grasped the other side of the belt, leaving the metal buckle dangling as he started on Harry again.

When it was over, Harry couldn't move. In fact, he _didn't_ move until he heard the twins' frantic crying as they shook him, desperate for a response. It turned out Vernon hadn't gone after the twins when he finished with Harry.

'_Probably too lazy, the great git,'_ he thought to himself as he forced his body into a sitting position.

Seeing his movement and taking heart in it, the twins began worrying even more, "Hawy 'kay?" and "No lying Hawy."

Despite his wounds, Harry could not help the smile that found its way onto his face. "Harry's okay Emma, no I'm not lying Bella."

It had been like this as far back as he could remember. He'd only been at the Dursley's house for two years when Emma and Isabella were born. Aunt Petunia had been ecstatic, at least until the twins had wanted feeding one day. Aunt Petunia was sick in bed with the flu and Uncle Vernon had been at work.

Just as Aunt Petunia was dragging herself into the kitchen after quieting Dudley for the fifth time, the twins had managed to conjure milk in bottles for themselves. Aunt Petunia had seen the act, and had lost it. That was the first and only time that the twins had been struck.

Harry had been utterly terrified when he had seen his aunt strike Emma and Isabella.

Terified and angered.

But the moment that he had taken to protecting the twins, Aunt Petunia had slapped his face. And it had only gotten worse when Uncle Vernon had arrived home from work. After Petunia had explained the situation to him, Vernon had proclaimed that all "freaks" were entitled to one thing, and one thing only: frequent lashings.

Two years later, Harry still refused to see his cousins beat. He would not let the only people that loved him, and who he loved in this hell he called life, endure any sort of pain.

"It's alright baby girls, we'll be alright," he reassured the still sobbing twins, knowing that he had to quiet them down, or risk attracting Uncle Vernon's attention yet again, as he pulled them close to his chest.

"BOY, SHUT THEM _UP!!_" Roared Uncle Vernon as he marched back into the hallway, coming towards the cupboard under the stairs that he and the twins shared.

"Oh no," Harry hissed, pulling the suddenly quiet, yet still frightened twins even closer to his chest, his only concern being for the two cowering children, "Oh God no! _When _is this going to stop?!"

As Vernon grabbed the handle of the cupboard, Harry heard the doorbell ring. He breathed a sigh of relief; he was spared a few more minutes.

There were muffled voices at the door, and then Uncle Vernon's angry shout, "THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER _HERE!! _Now leave before I call the authorities."

The violent slam of the door signaled the end of Harry's grace period, and after a brief silence, in which Harry heard his uncle growl in fury, the cupboard door was wrenched open.

"Boy," snarled Uncle Vernon, "What are you playing at? Calling more _freaks_ like you here? I'll show you what happens when you threaten my family like that you worthless bastard!!"

He pulled of his belt, which was now laden with his Grunnings buckle; a monstrously over-sized piece of metal with a giant diamond studded "G" on it, and struck Harry across the cheek. The blood fell to the floor, spattering Aunt Petunia's once spotless carpets. That one was going to leave a scar.

Before Vernon could land another hit, the front door burst open, revealing a creature Harry had never seen before.

It was female, that much was clear to Harry, but she was ugly, grotesque and yet, at the same time she was beautiful and enchanting. Her hair seemed to be the color of, well, there was no other way to describe it, it was the first thought that came to his head and fit perfectly;l her hair was the color of death. And yet it was alive, literally. Her hair was made up of several deadly snakes. She had the wings of a giant eagle, colored black as night, and her hands were adorned with sharp claws and her feet were that of a bird's as well, bedecked with deadly looking talons. And it appeared that she was angry, very angry.

Whatever she was, Harry decided, she was his savior. Vernon had stopped in mid strike, and seemed to be stunned. The creature flew forward with incredible speed, grabbing his uncle around the neck and slamming him into the wall.

"How dare you strike the Son of the Underworld!! If it was up to me, I would not hesitate to kill you, but as it is, that great pleasure is not mine to have. _GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!!_" She hissed, releasing the bumbling mass, watching as he fell to the floor, and then scrambled out of the hall.

And then, before Harry's eyes, the creature in front of him morphed into a regular woman. She had long, soft blond hair that fell to below her shoulders and striking blue eyes. She was tall, probably close to six feet, give or take a few inches, and she wore a knee length blue skirt, along with a matching blouse. And her feet had returned to normal as well, for she was sporting blue shoes on perfectly human feet.

"Young demi-god, it is an honor to meet you," she bowed low at this, before rising back to her full height, "Please, your father has requested that I take you from this place and to one a bit more..._habitable_."

Harry looked at the woman before him with a bit of unease, although he was finding it very hard to not just go. Something about her made him want to trust her, still, he had to be careful, besides, he couln't trust his own family, what made this stranger any different?

A voice from the doorway, this one young but strong nonetheless, made its presence known.

"She won't hurt you Harry, you know that, right?"

Harry turned towards the door, curious to see who knew his name. Whoever he had been hoping to see, it was not the little girl, who could be no more than three years his senior, climbing through the destroyed entrance of Number Four.

She was lightly tanned, and stood about three and a half feet tall, only slightly taller than Harry. She had raven black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and the few strands that had escaped the tie fell into her face over striking emerald green eyes...

_His _eyes.

"Hiya Harry," the girl said softly, coming to stand next to the woman that had saved him, "Oh wow, that one is gonna scar isn't it?" She indicated the fresh wound on his cheek, a rough looking "G" marred into the flesh on his face.

"P-probably," Harry responded as he gently ran his hand over the gash, pulling his hand back and staring at the blood on it in a sort of detached way, "But it's not so bad, really, I've had worse."

Far from consoling the two strangers in front of him, which was his aim, Harry's comment seemed to incense them, and the woman in front of him seemed to flicker from her human guise and her bird appearance, a low, angry growl making its way from her throat.

The small girl's eyes narrowed and a steely glint lit the emerald pools before she sighed and spoke again.

"Unfortunately Harry, we're not allowed to _do_ anything to your relatives. We're supposed to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"How do you know my name?" Harry asked. The question had been bugging him ever since she had walked in the door.

She looked confused at first, but then she broke out into a smile before giggling a little bit.

"I'm sorry about that, I'd forgotten that you haven't even met me before, whereas I know nearly everything about you," seeing Harry's puzzled face, she continued, "You know of course that you weren't born here," Harry nodded, "And you know that you had parents before his relatives.

"But, what you don't know is that your mother and father had another child, a girl, two years before you were born. She normally has black hair and it is usually is pulled into a ponytail. She has emerald green eyes, just like her brother's, she is about so high," As she said this, she put her hand on top of her head, indicating her height, "And her name is Katherine Evans."

Harry stared for a little bit, before realization dawned on him.

"You're...you're my...my sister?!" He asked, completely nonplussed at the mere thought. He had family? So overwhelmed by this new sense of hope, he fell to his knees, tears welling, "I...I don't..._how_?"

Katherine smiled at him softly, moving forward to help him to his feet, "I told you Harry, Mum and Dad had me two years before they did you. I've been in the states, America if you'd rather, for the past five years staying with some friends. It was only recently that Dad claimed me, and then he sent Alecto and I," she indicated the woman next to her, "to come and get you. If I had known, I would've come for you so much earlier."

Harry looked at her in wonder, "My dad's...alive? But I thought that he and mum died in a car crash!"

Confusion crossed Katherine's face, "No...your dad is still alive, and I doubt he'll kick it any time soon, but the man that you are thinking of, if you can remember, was your step-father. He and your mother were married, but they were murdered shortly afterward by a crazed Dark Lord, at least that's what Dad told me."

Harry blinked.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had lied to him? Again he asked himself why, but he knew the answer. They hated him; they hated him so much that they felt he didn't deserve to know the truth about his mother and his step-father.

But he wasn't alone in sharing the Dursley's hate, no the twins-

"THE TWINS!!" Harry shouted, a panicked look tearing his face as he turned back to the cupboard only to find the aforementioned pair huddled together in fear, probably at Alecto or Vernon's past anger, but none worse for the wear.

"The who?" Katherine asked, coming around the other side of Harry to try and see what or who he was talking about. She gasped as she saw the three-year olds jump up and cling to Harry, who had fallen to his knees again and swiftly picked them up, "Oh. Aw Harry, they're so adorable!!"

Harry grinned at his sister's-it was weird to think that, _his_ sister-antics. That was usually people's response when they saw the twins while they were at the store with Aunt Petunia. Of course, those times were few and far between and the trips were only made so as to assuage the neighbor's interest. After all, Petunia and Vernon had bragged and boasted considerably during the former's pregnancy.

The twins looked at the girl in front of them, and then at the woman to her left. "Are you the people who are gonna take Hawy and us away from here?" Emma asked timidly, and she was immediately followed by Isabella's innocent, "Hawy said we was gonna be saved one day."

Katherine looked at the twins with a small smile, then at Harry, clearly ready to tell him that they had to stay here, but Harry's next word's stopped her.

"Trust me, Uncle Vernon could care less when it concerns what happens to the three of us. Besides, I won't go without Emma and Bella."

Katherine sighed. How was she going to explain to her father that she'd brought along two mortals? Oh dear.

While she was thinking, Emma and Bella had broken away from Harry's embrace and made their way over to Alecto curiously.

"Um...are you a birdie?" Emma queried, softly though, so as not to provoke the woman into anger should she accidentally offend her. Isabella stood slightly behind her, one had grasping Emma's and one with the thumb in her mouth.

Alecto smiled however, and knelt next to the twins, "You see much for young mortals. Yes, I am a bird, though I am more commonly known as a Fury. How old are you two?"

Bella held out a hand, showing two fingers, while Emma shook her head in annoyance at her twin, and said, "We turned twee in May ma'am, Bella's still not used to da change."

Alecto laughed softly, a sound that was oddly satisfying and yet slightly terrifying to Harry all at once. "You are very intelligent for your age, both of you. But alas, time grows short."

She rose from the floor and turned to address Katherine, "My Lady, we must go soon, or else the wards that your father stalled will come back up and alert the watchers of of our presence."

Katherine nodded and turned to Harry, "Okay then, Emma and Bella come as well. If they can see Alecto's true form when she's angry than they must be special."

"Mortals?" Harry asked, eyebrows rising in question at the term.

"Don't worry, Dad'll explain everything when we get back home. Is there anything that you want to take with you?" Katherine queried.

Harry shook his head, although the twins raced back to the cupboard and emerged again with scraps of what looked like what had once been an emerald green blanket. They nodded to Harry with small "Wedy's", and then reached up at him with their hands, wanting to be carried.

Harry obliged, and then turned to Katherine, "Whenever you're ready sis." Harry felt the tingle of happiness rush up and down his spine as he addressed his sister, he'd never been so happy in his life. They were leaving.

"You might as well tell that fat oaf of an Uncle goodbye, you know, just to see if he says anything." Katherine suggested.

Harry sighed, then turned to the kitchen doorway and shouted, "Uncle? I'm leaving with the twins...for good. Just wanted to say goodbye I guess."

There was a crash as Vernon Dursley came into the hall, and, judging by the paleness of his face he was still wary of Alecto. "G-going are you? For g-good you s-say? Fine! Good riddance!! GOODBYE!! You _FREAKS!!_"

Alecto, angered at the man's appalling behavior, rushed at him, swiftly shifting from her human form to that of the Fury. Vernon screamed, a rather high-pitched scream, and ran from the room once again.

Once Alecto had terrified him enough, the Fury returned to the hallway, reverting back to her human facade and addressing the assembled group of children.

"I'm going to be flying us there," she explained, mostly for the benefit of Harry and the twins, "So whatever you do, don't let go of me, alright?"

They nodded in unison, and then they were out the door and in the front yard. Alecto bent to pick up the four small children and then steadied herself before kicking off from the ground and into the sky, her great black eagle's wings sprouting from her back and propelling them forward.

The moment that they had take to the sky, everything blurred for the children. They were flying so fast that not even the colors of the lands below were registering, just brief flashes of white light.

Harry felt a bit nauseous as they flew. He'd never been one to like heights; he would always receive and uncomfortable feeling of vertigo when he got higher than two stories up. Now they were two stories up and flying incredibly fast and Harry was finding it hard to keep his meager lunch of water and a fourth of a moldy slice of bread down.

The twins meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying it immensely. Emma was squealing delightedly in Katherine's arms while Bella spread her arms out wide, catching the wind as she did. If Harry had not been holding her so tight, she would've flown out of his arms.

Ten minutes later, they had landed in a busy city street with people bustling to and fro all around them. Nearly all the buildings around them touched the sky, seeming to go up forever.

"Harry!" Turning at his name, Harry saw it was Katherine who had called him, and she was gesturing him over towards a giant, black building. As he got closer, Harry glanced at the gold lettering that was etched into the black marble that made up the building.

It read:

DOA RECORDING STUDIO

And beneath the sign, stenciled onto the glass doors more words were legible.

NO SOLICITING. NO LOITERING. NO LIVING.

Shrugging off the foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach at the last word, Harry followed Katherine and Alecto in, holding the twins' hands to coax them along.

Several people inhabited the building and it seemed that the lobby was overcrowded. Every seat was taken, every space on the floor occupied, and the ones that had nowhere to sit, simply stood, looking at nothing in particular, their faces devoid of emotion.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a head of blonde hair, and he panicked, thinking that Aunt Petunia had somehow followed him and had come to take him back to hell. But as he focused on the person, he saw that it wasn't Aunt Petunia, just an older man who had sneezed. For some reason though, Harry's gaze seemed to falter, as the man became transparent.

He turned to ask Katherine, but she and Alecto were at the security desk talking to a tall, dark-skinned man with bleached blonde hair. He looked up as Harry came over, and promptly bowed at his waist.

"Nice to meet you young Lord. My name is Charon and I'll be giving you passage across Styx so you can meet your father. Follow me."

They were loaded into an elevator that was already packed with other transparent people. Harry wondered why he could see through them but decided he would ask Katherine later.

With a jolt they were off, and for a few seconds they were going down until, with another jerk, the elevator started going _forward_.

The air around them was getting misty, and their fellow passengers had changed their appearances somehow. Instead of the clothes that they had once been sporting, they now dressed in gray hooded robes.

Charon too was changing shape, as was Alecto. Charon's skin seemed to fade away, leaving only a skull in place of his once healthy face. Alecto was returning to her Fury form.

The twins gave small whimpers at the former's appearance, so Harry, who hadn't been too affected by the transformation, gripped their hands a little tighter, giving them extra comfort and calming their nerves.

The next thing to change was the elevator. It had changed into a large wooden barge without Harry noticing it, but as he concentrated he could feel the rhythmic sway of the boat on the water. Charon was poling them across the river Styx, the water dirty and hardly seeming to be water at all.

When they reached the shore, Charon once again bowed to Harry, before getting aboard the boat and poling back across the river.

Harry now followed Alecto and Katherine through several bizarre security measures. Three lines of people going through what looked like airport security was the first thing he saw. They passed quickly through that as Alecto merely showed her face to the attendant on duty, and continued on their way.

Large gates loomed ahead, but that was not what had captured Harry's attention. There, right in front of them was a large, three-headed dog. All three mouths were open wide as they saw the approaching quintet, it appeared to be excited.

Katherine strode forward, seemingly unafraid, and produced a small red ball from her pocket. She closed her eyes briefly and held the ball out in front of her. To Harry's surprise, the ball grew to about three feet wide, and it immediately caught the dog's attention. She handed the ball to Alecto, who pulled it back sharply, before launching it off into the distance.

"Fetch!" Shouted Katherine, and to Harry's surprise, the dog did. Seeing Harry's shocked look, Katherine giggled, "That was Cerberus, the gate guardian. He's really just a big puppy at heart and loves to play fetch."

They moved on through the gate and eventually made it to what looked like a throne room of sorts. And sitting on the throne was a man who was a giant, dressed in black silk robes that stood out sharply against his albino white skin. On his head sat a crown of braided gold, a rather odd trinket, Harry thought, but fitting nonetheless atop his jet black hair.

The man stood up as the group entered and instantly morphed before their eyes. Now he was around six feet tall, still giant in Harry's eyes but now reasonably so, but he was still dressed in his black robes, his jet black hair falling just below his ears. His skin turned to the exact same tan color of Harry and Katherine's, giving him a less sinister look than before. In a deep, rich, and powerful baritone, he spoke.

"Welcome to the Underworld, son."

A/N: And there's the second chapter. I am so sorry that it took so long to get an update up, but this chapter really didn't want to get written. But it is finally done and hopefully, it will be easier from here on out...but with my track record, don't get your hopes up to high.

Comments, questions? Criticisms and flames? I'll take it all.

-HakushoRurouni


	3. Reunions and Summer Camp

A/N: Hello again my dear, dear, DEAR readers!! I realize that I take a rather long time between updates, and that is mostly because of all the distractions that accompany a school year. Seeing as I've made promises before and have failed to come through...I'll refrain and just say that I HOPE I'll get into a writing groove. Now, ON WITH THE STORY!!

* * *

Ch. 3- Reunions and Summer Camp

Harry could only stare at the man before him in stunned awe. This...was his father? This man, who seemed to be dripping with power, knowledge, and outright supremacy, was his father? He couldn't believe it, he seemed...otherworldly.

The man smirked, and Harry had a sneaking feeling that he could tell what he was thinking. And sure enough, when the man spoke, he answered Harry's queries.

"Yes Harry, I am your father," at this, Katherine snorted, barely able to keep her laughter down. Ignoring his daughter he continued, "My name is Hades, and I am the god of the Underworld."

Harry blinked, and Hades chuckled. It was a deep, full chuckle and seemed to encompass the entire room.

"I need to explain some things to you Harry, as I've already explained to your sister. For one thing, since I am a god and your mother was a mortal, you are a demi-god," seeing Harry's confused look, Hades explained further, "It means that you are half god, half human. You can walk in both planes, that of the gods, and that of mortals, freely."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this, "But, if that's true, then...then how can the twins be here? How come they're not, I don't know...affected by this?" He gestured at the room in general, trying to get his point across.

"Simple kid," said his father affectionately, "It's because they're not your normal everyday mortals, they've got some magic in them. To keep a low profile nowadays, the gods have put into existence a kind of mist that hides whatever it envelopes from normal human beings. For example, if Alecto here," he indicated the Fury to his left, "Were to go out into public just like this, she would look to mortals exactly what they wanted her to look like. An old woman, a young woman, middle aged woman yadda yadda you get the idea."

Even though it wasn't a question Harry nodded and Hades continued.

"Now, being a demi-god, you have to live in a certain place. Said place is located here, in New York and is called Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe haven for all demi-gods in the world which, believe me, are quite a lot." Again, Harry stared at him, nonplussed.

With a sigh, Hades started again, "Listen Harry, the gods, for example Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, myself, Athena etcetera, are all real. We exist where the belief is the strongest; currently that belief is abundant here, in North America and the center of North American culture just happens to be in New York at this point in time.

"And since the gods are immortal, they sometimes get bored. And when they get bored, they sometimes go off and, well...have little demi-gods."

This statement sparked Harry's anger. "So you're saying that you never loved my mother? You just "got bored" and decided you'd go and...and...make a child...for the fun of it? You probably don't even care about me!!" The room started shaking, dust falling from the dark abyss that stretched up into the ceiling, the ground cracking and splitting under Harry's feet.

"Harry." The tone of his father's voice was soft, but it held steel, and just that one word was enough to quell Harry's foolish anger. "Look at me." He did, but with grudging defiance. He had been foolish to even hope that anyone, aside from the twins, could love him. All at once, everything he had been through, all the years of torture at the hands of the Dursleys came crashing down on him, and he began to cry.

Hades had been about to continue when his son just broke down completely, tears spilling over his malnourished face and years of anguish became revealed tot he Lord of the Dead. A feeling that had been all but dormant inside of him for years welled up in his chest, as the urge to comfort his ailihng son overtook Hades.

He enveloped the small boy in a fatherly embrace and pulled him close to his chest, "Oh Harry...it's alright, you're alright. Shh...it's alright kid, it's alright, let it out...let it all out."

Harry had tensed at the initial contact, bracing himself to be struck just like he had been anytime he had shown emotion at the Dursley's, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see what was going on, and they widened in shock as he saw his father..._hugging _him. Seeing as how he'd probably never get another hug in his life, Harry decided to take it for all it was worth.

When he felt his son hug him back, Hades was overwhelmed. He hadn't felt this choked up since meeting Lily and...and having Katherine and Harry. Was this what it felt like to father a child and actually care? If this was what it felt like all the time...he wanted to be a part of both of his children's lives.

He turned to his daughter, her emerald eyes bright with tears of joy now that she had a family. "Katherine, come here you!" She laughed, the tears falling down her cheeks, a brilliant smile adorning her face, and she latched onto her brother and father, as if afraid she would lose them if she let go.

"I'm sorry my children, for not being their for either of you when you needed it. After your mother died...I lost all sense of myself, and I left you to the whims of others, others who were willingly ignorant of the conditions they were leaving you in.

"For five years, I watched as you two grew up; in pain, in sorrow and neglect but still growing into good, honorable people. And then Katherine was discovered by a monster, and she was being attacked constantly thereafter. And then..." his voice cracked as he tried to continue, "Then...your mother came. She said she'd been waiting for five years to get passage across Styx, apparently Charon is rather selective, regardless of whether or not people have paid. Anyway, she talked some sense into me, told me I was an idiot for not protecting my children, told me that if I did nothing, she would never forgive me and, being immortal, that quite a long time.

"So I sent Alecto out to get Katherine from her foster mother, who had become abusive after her husband's death. Katherine has only recently been introduced to the demi-gods at Camp Half-Blood, but I've not yet claimed her as my daughter," seeing the questioning look in Harry's eyes, Hades continued, "It's not that I am ashamed of her, but because I wanted you to be there with her so she wouldn't have to go through all the stares and isolation alone. The two of you are the children of one of the Big Three. I am number two, Zeus and Poseidon are numbers one and three, respectively. Any child of the three of us is immediately signaled out, not just by your fellow demi-gods, but by the monsters that prey on god-lings. Unfortunately, being a son or daughter of the Triad sets you apart, leaving you with greater expectations, and fewer chances to accomplish them."

Here Hades paused and hugged his children close before sighing and continuing on, "Your lives that were so hard before you came here, the lives where you were beat," here he gently ran a hand across Harry's scarred cheek, cuppinjg it in his hand, "lives where you were ignored," he kissed Katherine's forehead lovingly, "are lives that I want to end so badly. I never want to see you two go through that again. Just now...I realized what I've been missing...your lives. I've missed so much of your young lives, soon you'll be teenagers, and I'll...I'll be the most annoying thing in your lives," Harry and Katherine giggled at this and Hades smiled, "but I plan to be the annoying father anyway. I don't want to miss anymore of your lives. I love you, both of you."

And that set off a whole new round of tears, this time from all three parties involved. Katherine spoke first, recovering fastest, "I love you Daddy and you too Harry, I love both so much."

Harry looked to his sister in shock, before smiling and hugging her and replied, "I love you too Katherine," looking to Hades he whispered, "And I love you too...Dad."

Suddenly, two bodies crashed into the group hug that was taking place. Shocked, Harry realized that it was the twins, who had been unusually quiet throughout the entire conversation. They had latched onto Harry's waist; each girl on clinging on him like their lives depended on it.

"We wanna Daddy too!!" They cried together, tears pouring down their faces in torrents.

"We don't wanna be weft awone!!" Emma begged, pulling at Harry's pant leg desperately trying to crawl up it.

Harry looked up at his father, tears still evident in his eyes, "They can stay with me right? You won't send them to an orphanage or anything right? They need me dad—wow that sounds so weird—and I need them!! Please let them come with us!!"

Hades couldn't help himself; something had given way in him earlier and whatever it was would not let him deny his son this simple request. Something about the twins made on his usual stern attitude. So he nodded , "I don't see why not, they're cute kids after all. I'll just talk to  
Dionysus and make some exceptions."

He hugged them close once again, and whispered, "Don't ever forget this; I love you guys. Yes," he said, as the twins gaped up at him, trying to find any lie in his face, "that goes for all _four _of you. There's just something about you...I don't know what it is. You're all just so..._lovable._"

Alecto snorted, a small almost inaudible sound, but Hades caught it. "Shut up!"

The children laughed.

* * *

After their tear fest was over, Harry, Katherine, Emma and Isabella were escorted by Alecto to Camp Half-Blood. Hades had said that he would meet them there, having gone ahead to make the arrangements with Dionysus and the other camp counselor, Chiron.

A small hill loomed before them in the stormy gloom that surrounded the area, lightning arching to and fro across the sky. Alecto seemed tense and on edge, but she made no mention of anything being wrong to her charges.

When they got to the top of the hill, affectionately known by many as Half-Blood Hill, Alecto turned to them with a small smile.

"This is where I leave you young ones, the ancient protections placed upon the Camp restrict me from entering. Do not fret," she added hastily as the group looked up at her teary eyed, "I and my sisters are always near, and should you need us we are merely an Iris message away. Farewell."

She gave them each a hug, before vanishing in a haze. The children, led by Katherine, made their way past the edge of the wards, which were marked by a gigantic White-House Christmas tree sized pine. Harry didn't know why, but it seemed...regal and elegant, beyond the beauty of the surrounding trees, almost as if an outside force had made it.

When they passed the tree, the forest that had stretched before them for what seemed like miles appeared to give way to a clearing of log cabins and what appeared to be, for all intents and purposes, a normal summer camp. A volleyball court with several players, an archery field, and a track around a gigantic field where several people were sparring.

What set this summer camp apart from other however, was the fact that several of its inhabitants seemed to be half goat. From their waist down, their bodies were covered in dark fur, varying from light brown to black, and their feet ended in black hooves. That and the fact that the sky, which had been stormy and laced with lighting, was completely blue, the sun lancing through the occasional white cloud and gently kissing everything it touched.

Katherine, still leading the group, made her way toward a large two story house that was out of place amongst the log cabins and the vegetation that surrounded it.

Sitting at a table on the front porch of the big house was a small, porky man with watery eyes, a red nose and curly black hair wearing a green, flower patterned Hawaiian shirt. He had an air of superiority about him, rather like that of their father, but no so pronounced.

Next to him sat a man who looked at first glance like one of the goat-people, but was actually on further inspection, half horse.

_'Wicked.'_ Harry thought to himself.

And sitting next to the half-man, half-horse, was their father, Hades. He was dressed casually, but the aura he gave off more than made up for it. He wore a short sleeve black shirt that fit him snugly, along with a pair of tight black jean pants and black shoes. His black as night hair was short, held up with copious amounts of gel, except for one lone strand that fell over his forehead, stopping just shy of his eyebrows. The only thing disrupting his all black ensemble was his white socks. They stood out violently, but seemed to give Hades' appearance a reason to be remembered.

As they got closer, the twins took notice of the horse-man.

"HORSIE!!" WANNA PET!!"

Harry winced, as did Katherine.

That caught the attention of the tables' occupants, as they turned at the shouts of the two young girls. Hades smirked, chuckling at their antics, while the pudgy man rolled his eyes in annoyance and the horse-man in question sighed resignedly, but put on a smile nevertheless as the twins ran to him and proceeded to pet him.

"Emma! Isabella! Get back here right now!! Get off of him now!!" Harry shouted as Katherine hid her face in her hands in embarrassment.

The horse-man turned to Harry, "I'm Chiron and it's quite alright, I've had worse my dear boy. Besides, they're excitable young children...I'm surprised they've not asked to ride me yet."

As is always the case in these kinds of situations (at least it seemed so to Harry) the aforementioned statement of riding him seemed to cue off the twins.

"Hawy, can we wide the horsie?" Isabella asked, turning to her cousin looking for permission.

"Yes Hawy! Pwease can we wide her?" Emma begged, giving Harry the best puppy dog eyes she could muster while so excited. Isabella caught on quickly as she saw her sister's face, and followed suit.

Hades couldn't hold back his laughter at this comment, and neither it seemed, could the big man at the table. Both burst out into raucous fits of laughter, tears pouring down their cheeks, the porky man's face getting alarmingly red.

Chiron harrumphed, clearly put out a being called a _her_, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Harry took the opportunity to collect the twins, and gave them a stern, but soft reprimand, ending with, "And what do we say to strangers that we climb all over?"

Both the little girls sighed and turned to Chiron, Emma fiddling with her thumbs and Isabella kicking at the ground with her toe, seeming to find their shyness after they had savagely scaled a complete stranger.

"We sowwy Mr. Chiron. We pwomise we won't climb up you anymore." The said simultaneously, all the while avoiding eye contact.

The fat man had finally recovered from is laughter and straightened, addressing Hades, "I've changed my mind dear Uncle, they can stay. Anyone who can cause that much embarrassment to Chiron after this long is okay in my book. Oh, I haven't laughed that much in decades."

He turned to look at the little girls, taking in their identical appearances with interest, before turning back to Hades, "You know of course that they cannot stay in Cabin Two with the others? There would be too many questions. They will have to stay here in the Big House. Is that acceptable?"

Hades looked to the twins, regarding them carefully, before smiling at them, "So long as Harry and Katherine can stay with them until they go to sleep. They are young and still need minders in their youth. They're not used to sleeping alone and I expect it will take them awhile to get used to the arrangements. Until they do, Harry and Katherine will take care of them. I thank you nephew. I'll be sure to put in a good word in regards to your behavior to your father and see if we can't get your sentence lightened."

The porky man nodded in gratitude, before turning back to his cards and announcing to the table, "Ah, it seems I've won this hand."

Chiron spoke however, "I'm sorry Mr. D, but I think my hand beats yours."

Seeing the truth in this statement, Mr. D growled in frustration. They turned to Hades, who showed his hand which beat Mr. D's but was bested by Chiron's cards.

"Alas nephew, it seems not even I can beat the great Chiron in Pinochle. Again I thank you, but I must be off."

He got up from the table and went over to his children, nieces included. "Okay you four, this is where I leave you, my duties call. But just remember that I love you and I'm only an Iris-message away." He gave them each a hug, before addressing Harry and Katherine, "Take care of your cousins you two, do you understand?" At their nods, he smiled, "Good. Now, tonight at dinner, I will claim you as my children and you will be known to all campers. They might be wary of you at first, but once you show them that you're not out to steal their souls, it'll only be a matter of time until they accept you."

Standing up, Hades smiled again, before giving them a wink and walking off humming an upbeat tune, "Summer lovin' had me a blast...," before he disappeared.

Chiron got up from the table after the Lord of the Dead's departure, and move over to the quartet, "Alrighty then, let's get you moved in and ready for dinner. Just follow me and we'll be done in no time!"

The children were led to the center of the clearing with all the cabins that they had seen from the hilltop. Each were numbered one through eleven, and each had their own unique design to set it apart from its counterparts. Chiron led them straight to the cabin marked 'Cabin 2'.

Inside, the cabin was decorated in dark colors. Black and navy blues adorned all of the sheets and curtains and even the cover of the toilet seat. What stuck out was a little fountain in the corner of the cabin. It too was black, but the water that flowed through it was clear as day.

Chiron caught their curious looks and explained, "This fountain is so that you can Iris-message anyone you wish. All you have to do is throw a drachma," he held up a large gold coin as he spoke, "into the disturbed water and and say 'O goddess, accept my offering.' And then say the name of the person, or the location. For example," he followed all the steps he'd just given, and then said, "Mr. D!"

Mist coiled up briefly, before Mr. D, the pudgy man from before, appeared in the mist.

"Hmm? What...oh, it's you," he said, looking straight at Chiron in annoyance, "I am the subject of yet another one of your demonstrations then?" Chiron nodded. The camp counselor rolled his eyes in a huff before talking, "Right, well bibbidy-bobbidy-boo and all that jazz." The connection faded after that, leaving Chiron smirking.

"Well, there you go. This cabin will be yours to lodge in as long as you need it, no matter how old you are," he smiled at the children around him before going on, "Now, I'll leave you two to get situated, and then I'll come back and we can get Emma and Isabella settled after that."

With that, Chiron left the cabin, closing the door on his way out.

Harry, Katerine and the twins looked around the room in awe. It was the biggest room they'd ever been able to call their own, even if they were sharing it. Aside from the rather large desk of drawers that sat in one corner, a pair of chairs along with it, there were about three sets of bunk beds-leaving a total of six beds-set side by side against one of the walls of the cabin.

Harry and Katerine stared at the beds for a moment, before shooting off like rockets at the bunks, shouting "This one's MINE!!" at the top of their lungs and launching themselves onto the same bed. They looked at each other with scowls on their faces, before they started shoving at each other trying to get them off the bed.

"No Harry!! I called it first!" Whined Katerine as she fended off her brother's hands, viciously.

"Nuh-uh! I did Katherine! It's MY bed!!" Harry countered, resorting to tickling his older sister now.

"AH!! N-no, stop!! I'm really t-ticklish!! Hahaha...ah!! Harryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy stoooooooooooooooooooooooooop!!" Katherine laughed, all the while trying to sound serious and failing miserably.

"Nope, I won't stop until you admit this is my bed! Say it Katherine, say it!!" He was grinning like mad now, he'd found his sister's weakness.

"N-never!! I will not c-concede defeat!" She challenged valiantly between laughs. But two seconds later found her giving up. "Alright! Stop, stop, STOP!! You win Harry, you win alright?! Ju-just stop ti-tickling me!!"

Harry stopped and smirked smugly, clearly pleased with himself over his victory. "Now Kat, you can go and choose any of the other five beds left."

The newly dubbed Kat grumbled in defeat as she chose the bed directly over Harry's, she'd get her revenge...oh yes, she'd get him back.

The twins had looked on the spectacle before them with curiosity. It had seemed like so much fun to them and they wanted a go. They ran to Harry, climbing onto his bed where he lay, and jumped on his stomach, getting a grunt from him in the process.

"Hawy!" cried Isabella, "We-" she was cut off by Emma as she continued where her twin had left off.

"Wanna pway-"

Now Isabella took over, "Twickle fight-"

Both twins spoke the last word of their statement simultaneously, "TOO!!"

Harry could only blink in response. He'd never seen or heard the twins do that before as they hardly ever spoke to begin with. But they'd just finished each other's sentences as though they had planned it out before hand. He looked over to Katherine who looked just as surprised as he did, although her astonishment was due to the fact that they were only two years old.

"What was that?" Harry asked, completely bewildered at their connected outburst.

"What was-"

"-what Hawy?"

They had done it again.

"THAT!" Harry exclaimed, "What you just did right now! Em, you talked first and then you finished Bella!"

They looked at their cousin for a moment before shrugging and going over to Katherine.

"Katwine, Hawy-"

"-is being-"

"-WEIRD!" They finished together, adding emphasis on the last word and staring at Harry as they said it.

Katherine laughed despite her confusion, "Yes well, Harry can be like that you two. He's just a little more vocal with his bewilderment than I am." At their confused looks, she shook her head and continued, "What do you think about exploring the camp a little before Chiron comes back?"

Harry nodded, as did the twins, and they got up and exited the cabin.

They were met with a late afternoon sky, an orange-ish tinge lining the horizon. The clouds that had been present an hour before were gone for the most part, sans one or two that were scattered around.

"Come on, this way you guys, I think the track place is over here." Kat explained as she led them over a few hills and past the now empty volleyball court.

Halfway there, they saw a group of kids, probably two or three years older than Katherine, huddled around something and laughing raucously. They were going to pass right by, when they heard a cry coming from the middle of the group.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!! NO, LET GO OF ME!!"

It was a girl's voice, and by the sound of it, she was in trouble. Not wasting any time, Harry and Katherine, after telling the twins to stay back, made their way over to the group.

"Hey! Leave her alone you bullies!" Harry yelled, in the best impression of his uncle he could manage.

The group, which they had now noticed were all boys, turned at the sound of his voice, startled. But when they saw that it was just a small boy and girl, they laughed.

"Ah, beat it you little punks, before you get hurt as well. This doesn't concern you." said one of them, before he turned back around, kicking whoever was in the middle of the circle, hard.

As soon as Harry saw this, he snapped.

He'd been beaten too many times in his life to let it stand when he saw someone else being hurt. He growled low in his throat and clenched his fists before he shouted once again, "I TOLD YOU TO LEACE HER ALONE!!"

The boy that had spoken before rolled his eyes before walking over to Harry, "And I told YOU to get the hell out of here! Now I'm gonna have to beat you too, you little punk." He raised his fist to punch him, but all of a sudden, the ground beneath him gave way, and he fell straight through, screaming all the way.

Harry turned to see Kat, green eyes alight and sparkling dangerously, holding her hand out in front of her and breathing deeply. She had saved him from his attacker.

The other boys, seeing their leader sucked up by the earth at the hands of a little girl, ran for it, leaving the little girl that they had been beating up alone on the ground, sniffling and holding her bruised body.

Harry and Katherine quickly ran over to her, falling to their knees as they did. She had straight dirty-blond hair that fell to just below her shoulders, her skin was tanned slightly, almost as if she'd been in the process but stopped. She wore an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and blue jeans with black sneakers.

"Are you alright?" asked Harry, placing a hand on her back gently to soothe the girl.

She looked up at him, and her stormy gray eyes startled him. For some reason, they seemed oddly out of place in comparison to the rest of her. Harry had actually suspected blue eyes, maybe even green like his own, but he definitely hadn't expected gray.

"'m fine." She said gruffly, although there was a slight waiver in her voice, "Don't need help." She moved from his hand, standing up abruptly before she fell back to her knees, clutching her head in pain.

"Hey! Easy there, you don't want to hurt yourself even more." Katherine said in concern, holding the girls arm to help steady her. "Come on, let's get you to Chiron, he can help you."

The girl nodded a little, before Harry and Katherine picked her up, one of her arms around each of their shoulders. She groaned a little as the pain gripped at her, but she remained conscious and walked along with them, the twins following along behind them.

"Thanks for helping me." she whispered, gritting her teeth in an effort to ignore the pain.

"No problem," Harry said, "My name's Harry, and that's my sister-"

"Katherine," Kat cut in, wanting to introduce herself on her own.

Harry rolled his eyes at his sister's antics, but continued anyway, "Those two munchkins behind us are our cousins, Emma and Isabella. They're twins before you ask." The small girls in question waved to the blond girl shyly.

She smiled at them, before sighing, "My name's Annabeth," she turned to Harry and Katherine, "Nice to meet you."

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A/N: And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, chapter 3!! That was a little depressing to write, what with all the drama and what not. But now it's over and hopefully, I'll be able to write chapter 4 without this long of a delay.

Please, R&R!!

-HakushoRurouni


	4. Denial and Persistence

A/N: Alright ladies and gents, I'm back once again! Due to the lack of any sort of feedback on this story, I'm going to plow right on through with the project. Having lost my beta, I'm going to be a bit slower with updates and all the other good stuff that goes along with tackling this story.

A note on the disclaimers.....this one is going to have to suffice for the beginning and the rest of this story. I, HakushoRurouni, being of sound mind and body, do regretfully admit that Harry Potter and Percy Jackson belong to their respective authors.

Remember feedback is definitely encouraged and greatly appreciated, especially in the form of a critique!

Ch. 4- Denial and Persistence

The trees were green, the sky was blue, the air was fresh and there was not a sign of the Dark Lord's continued existence at all. And he loved it; everything seemed perfect to him and he was sure that everything would remain perfect once he received all the acceptance letters from the new first years.

Yes, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was indeed a happy man. Being headmaster of the most prestigious wizarding school in the world had its perks, as did being one of the most famous wizards in the world.

Being in the position of power that he was, Dumbledore was able to keep all the prospective students closely documented. However, there was one dark spot in all this; he had lost Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived, and he could not find him. He had absolutely no idea, let alone an inkling, as to where the boy could be or what condition he was in.

Granted, he hadn't been in the best condition at his previous residence, Number Four Private Drive, but that had been a necessary sacrifice on the boy's part. It was either put up with his relatives or risk the lives of any family, Wizarding or Muggle, that he was placed with.

Besides that obvious fact, Dumbledore's ever calculating mind had figured that a rough upbringing would prepare the boy for the hell that he'd been selected to go through in place of his life.

Dumbledore would not wish the child's fate on anyone, especially a little orphaned boy who had been beaten mercilessly by his relatives for the first ten years of his life. Still, his hands were tied.

When he had realized that Harry had vanished from his relatives house, he had been in a panic, gathering the Order as quickly as possible and sending them out, even going so far as to call in a few of his favors with some of his rather shady acquaintances. But he had found nothing .

The boy had simply disappeared and Dumbledore was the one thing he hated to be; stumped.

Where could he have gone? Who could have taken him? _How_ could they have taken him? None of it had made any sense and now, six years later, it still puzzled the man.

However, when Harry's name had appeared on the Hogwarts registry, Dumbledore knew that the child was alive. The book could detect the children of its former students, and would only list them if they were magical and alive. And when the envelopes had gone out with the owls, Dumbledore had made sure that Harry's, which was addressed to Harry J. Potter with no location, went with the smartest owl he could find.

Confident that the owl's sense of direction to its recipient would result in Mr. Potter's acceptance and reemergence, Dumbledore was now allowing himself to rest easy and enjoy what was left of his summer holiday.

He had just settled down beneath one of his favorite trees on the school grounds when his Deputy Headmistress, Minervra McGonagall, came bursting out of the Entrance Hall, the giant doors swinging dangerously on their over-sized hinges.

'_Well this can't be good'_ he thought as he remained seated, looking over at the fuming woman advancing on him. Considering her age, Minervra made it to his spot in a rather short amount of time, without any visible side effects. Dumbledore decided to speak first, "Ah Minervra what a pleasant surprise! Would you care to join me? It is a beautiful day."

She looked at him like he had grown a second head, before she blinked. Whatever retort had been on her tongue died as she realized that he had no idea what she had come to get him for.

"No Albus, I'll have to decline the offer," she sighed, "I'm afraid that we have a problem."

"Really," Dumbledore said, "What seems to be the trouble?"

She didn't respond, instead reaching into her robe pocket and pulling out an envelope. She handed it to him as she spoke, "Albus...I have just received this letter...and...well-just look at it!!"

Taking the proffered envelope, Dumbledore saw that it was addressed to his Headmistress. Opening it, he saw why she was so distraught. Scrawled on the paper, in black ink, was a messily neat scrawl which read:

**Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,**

**NO.**

**Sincerely, **

**Harry J. _Evans_**

Dumbledore stared at the letter with his mouth open in shock. Never before had he been rendered speechless by anyone, yet here he sat, speechless at the whim of a letter.

He looked up at McGonagall completely nonplussed. "...Mr. Potter sent this?"

McGonagall nodded. "Then there is a chance that we can discover his location by using a tracking charm." McGonagall shook her head, "I've tried that Albus, but I didn't get a specific direction, my wand just went every which way."

Dumbledore sighed, "There are other ways of course..."

"Albus, we've already tried talking to his relatives and they refused to tell us anything. He's gone and we can't find him, and unless he comes to us, we won't even see him!" Minervra countered, confirming what Dumbledore already knew.

If Mr. Potter did not want to be found, it appeared that he would not be found. Something else had caught the Headmaster's attention in the letter however, despite its short length.

"Minervra, do you know why he would sign it Harry J. Evans? Why would he use his mother's maiden name as opposed to his birth name?"

Confused Minervra took another look at the letter in Dumbledore's hands, before looking to her long time friend, "I didn't even notice it before Albus. It does call for questioning doesn't it?"

Dumbledore however, had ceased listening as he had had a rather brilliant thought. "Minervra, why don't we just place a tracking charm on the envelope and send it again?"

For the second time that day, in a matter of thirty minutes, McGonagall looked at her superior in a way that suggested he'd grown some sort of abnormality. But then she blinked, "...You know Albus...that just might work. Should I get to it then?"

Dumbledore nodded and with that, the Deputy Headmistress left to see to Harry's second letter.

Yes, Albus Dumbledore was really enjoying his day.

Two days later, Dumbledore had just settled down to a nice dinner of steak and kidney pie when a resounding _BOOM!_ disrupted the quiet of the Great Hall and caused him to spill his pumpkin juice all down his front.

"Albus, we've gotten the reply from Potter!" Minervra called, waving another envelope above her head as she ran up to the Head Table, oblivious to the fact that she had startled the man into sloshing his drink all down his front.

"Well?" Dumbledore asked, grabbing a napkin from the table and dabbing at the already staining material.

"I haven't opened it yet Albus, but as you know his location should reveal itself once I've performed the revealing charm on the letter." She pulled out her wand and murmured the spell and then stared waiting for the words to show themselves.

Five minutes later, there was still no sign of the hidden words that should have been there. The purpose of the charm was to track the owl's route, the delivery point of the letter and once the owl had returned, reveal the recipients location.

Nothing.

Dumbledore sighed as did McGonagall. It seemed that this would require a personal voyage, although it would not be either of them that ventured with the owl.

"Let's at least check what he wrote. It' can't be any worse than what he sent last time." Dumbledore said, gesturing to the envelope.

McGonagall opened the letter, scanned it briefly and rolled her eyes in annoyance before handing the letter to Dumbledore.

**Deputy Headmistress McGonagall,**

**I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request.**

**Sincerely, **

**Harry J. _Evans_**

Dumbledore let his head hit the table. He raised it after the pain took hold, and then turned to his Deputy, "Minervra contact Kingsley Shacklebolt, tell him that I need his assistance."

McGonagall nodded and was turning to go when she saw the stain on his robes. She clucked at him, "Really Albus! You need to be more careful when you're eating, honestly, staining your robes with pumpkin juice. _Scourgify!_"

Rolling his eyes, Albus mourned over the loss of his once warm meal.

Headmaster of Hogwarts Albus Dumbledore was on his last frame of the game, staring down all ten of the bowling pins. They seemed to stare right back at him with their evil Hospital Wing-like paint and annoyingly bright single red stripe that was there purely for distraction in dire situations such as this. They were mocking him, telling him that he couldn't get them all. For that was all he needed to have bowled the first perfect game of his life.

'Concentrate Dumbledore, come on man!! Just focus, FOCUS!!' He thought to himself, before he stepped into his throw.

Just as he was going to release the ball, his office door banged open, startling him and causing him to release the ball a fraction of a second too early. With a resounding _CRASH! _The ball made contact with the wooden alley and rolled straight into the gutter, completely missing the pins.

The aged Headmaster could only stare in horrified fascination as his perfect game was lost. He stayed that way for a good two minutes before it dawned on him that somebody was in his office and that somebody was responsible for the tragedy that had taken place.

He quickly dismissed the charm he'd placed on his office that had granted him the alleyway, and it returned to its normal business like appearance. The portraits on the wall grumbled in irritation, as they had been used as the pins, and sent some choice words to Dumbledore, which he pointedly ignored.

Looking to the entrance of the room, Dumbledore saw that the villain who had robbed him of his game was none other than Kingsley Shacklebolt himself. Surely the man could have given some kind of warning?

But as he inspected him further, he noticed that the seasoned Auror was shaken up badly. Concern quickly overtook his crestfallen features as he addressed the Auror.

"Kingsley my dear boy, what happened?"

Seeing that the man was about to collapse, he quickly transfigured one of his beloved Lemon Drops into a rather tasteless yellow chair that made up for its tacky appearance with plump cushions.

Kingsley collapsed into the chair and shuddered. He took a deep calming breath, but couldn't finish before another shudder brought around a bout of shivering.

Dumbledore quickly grabbed one of his Lemon Drops, infused with a Calming Potion, and held it out to Kingsley, "Here Kingsley, take the Lemon Drop, it will calm your nerves."

The Auror took the proffered candy in a shaking palm, and ate it. The effect was instantaneous, and the shivering stopped allowing the man to take in a deep breath. He looked to Dumbledore, before he shuddered yet again.

"Kingsley, what happened?" Dumbledore asked with worry. The Lemon Drops were not weak by any means, far from it. He usually had to deal with infuriated parents or frantic children so he had had Severus brew him the strongest Calming Potion that he could. That an experienced Auror who had seen combat and death, was put off by something even after he'd taken the Lemon Drop was something indeed.

Finally, it seemed as though Kingsley was ready to talk. "Albus, I followed the owl as you insturcted. It lead me overseas and to America, but...that was as far as I got."

Dumbledore looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean? I was not aware that there were any wards protecting the States."

Shacklebolt shook his head, "No, it wasn't wards. It was some kind of creature, some grotesque...demon." He shivered again.

"Please Kingsley, continue." Dumbledore urged.

The man nodded, taking another steadying breath, "Whatever it was had snakes for hair, all of them deadly and it had wings as well, eagles wings I thought, or at the very least bird's wings. And its fingers and toes were talons Albus, sharp as a sword and long and deadly.

"The thing refused to let me even consider landing, having rushed me right as I got within striking distance. I shot curses at it but the monster was too fast, dodging left and right. And of course there I was on a bloody broomstick, as stationary as can be. Here, look!"

He pulled back a sleeve on his robe, revealing a gash that was already healing, but was pulsating an eerie red.

"I've got them all up and down my back Albus, and a couple on my legs. Anyway, when I got hit the last time, I managed to land a curse, a Cutting Curse mind, but...Albus...it went straight through it! I just didn't get it!

"So I took off back here, and the thing gave chase until I was back over European soil. I've never been so scared in my life Albus...I just...I...was gonna go...I..."

Whatever the Auror was going to say was lost as the man suddenly went in to another fit of convulsions. But he stopped abruptly, confusing Dumbledore even more. Kingsley's eyes widened as he took in his surroundings, before he started to back into a corner screaming.

"NO! NO DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!!! LEAVE ME ALONE! PLEASE, GO AWAY I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!"

Dumbledore rose from his chair, his wand in his hand, "Kingsley, calm yourself! That thing that attacked you is not here! Please, sit down!"

But the Auror would have none of it, "IT'S HERE, I'VE SEEN IT!!! IT WANTS TO KILL ME, AND I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!! PLEASE DUMBLEDORE, SAVE ME!! IT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!! NO! NOOOOOOOOO!"

"_Stupefy!_" Dumbledore shouted, effectively putting the maddened Auror at ease. Once he was sure that Kingsley was unconscious, Dumbledore strode over kneeling next to his friend. "What happened to you Kingsley?"

It was then that Dumbledore noticed that the gash on Kingsley's arm was still glowing an eerie red, only now it had stopped pulsing and was maintaining its ugly hue. Dumbledore raced to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of floo powder from the urn atop the mangle and tossed it in, shouting "Poppy Pomfrey!"

His head was in the fire place in Madame Pomfrey's quarters for all of ten seconds before the kindly matron saw him, "Albus, what can I do for you?"

"Poppy, we have an emergency, please come to my office immediately!" Dumbledore replied, before he exited the fireplace, allowing the medi-witch to enter after him.

"Albus, what happened?" She asked as she laid eyes on Kingsley, running over to the unconscious and pulling out her wand.

"I was hoping you could tell me Poppy. Kingsley has just returned from an errand that I sent him on, where he was attacked by, what he says, was a monster. If you look at his arm, you'll see where the thing struck him." Dumbledore explained calmly, but swiftly.

"My Merlin," Poppy gasped, "that's something new. Nevertheless, I should be able to fix him up as soon as I run a diagnostic spell." She proceeded to do just that, running her wand up and down the man twice, before ending the spell.

"Well Poppy?" Dumbledore queried.

"From what I gathered Albus, the wounds that he's acquired have some sort of spell infused with it. It seems to be a maddening spell...it might take me awhile, but he should be fine within the week, so long as he remains unconscious."

At that, she conjured a stretcher, and levitated it, before opening the door and heading towards the Hospital Wing.

Dumbledore sat down wearily at his desk, his head in his hands. He had tried three times to get Mr. Potter's location, and three times he had failed. Well, technically he had discovered a _general _location, but that was the United States. Trying to find Harry there would be like trying to find a piece of hay in a needle stack; painful and time consuming.

"Very well," Dumbledore said to himself, "If you wish not to be found Harry Potter, I shall not pursue you any further. However, when you are ready, I pray you return to us, though I fear it might be for the worse."

There was a tap on the glass behind him, and Dumbledore jumped in surprise before he saw the owl in the window. He opened it, letting the bird in and it dropped a letter into his lap, before it took off to the Owlery.

Looking down at the envelope, he saw it was addressed to him. Opening it, he read the same messily neat scrawl.

**Headmaster Dumbledore, **

**For the last time, I will NOT attend your school any time soon. You'd have a better chance at getting a perfect score in bowling than you have of getting me there. **

**Sincerely,**

**Harry J. _Evans_**

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was speechless for the third time of his life.

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know it's been a very long time. I'm sorry, I've just been a little...well, VERY lazy as of late, and so I've put off everything to the last minute. Hope you enjoyed this installment, and I'm hoping that the story will take off from here.

-HakushoRurouni


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